Mark Drakeford, a Kent alumnus and former First Minister of Wales, will return to the University on Thursday 20 March to give a public lecture titled ‘The UK in the 21st Century and the Case for Social Democracy‘.
Hosted by the School of Economics and Politics & International Relations, his lecture will explore what politics and politicians need to do to build back confidence in a world where trust is under pressure.
The lecture will take place at 17.30 in Grimond Lecture Theatre 2 on the Canterbury campus. It is free and open to all.
Born and raised in West Wales, Mark Drakeford became the Assembly Member for Cardiff West in May 2011. He was Chair of the Assembly’s Health and Social Care Committee from July 2011 – March 2013 and of the All-Wales Programme Monitoring Committee for European funds from July 2011 – March 2013. He was appointed Minister for Health and Social Services in March 2013. Mark was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government in May 2016. He was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Finance on 3 November 2017. On 12 December 2018 Mark was appointed First Minister of Wales and became a member of the Privy Council on 13 February 2019. He stood down as First Minister in March 2024.
Mark was subsequently appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language on 11 September 2024.